ARANSAS PASS, Texas — Aransas Pass police took to social media this weekend to address a serious situation the city is facing.
According to Aransas Pass Police Chief Eric Blanchard, there has been a recent increase in opioid overdoses and deaths in just a two week period. The department received 25 calls of residents overdosing.
"Arrests started with good intentions but its simply not working," Blanchard said.
Some of the calls the department have responded too were residents who they have responded to before, and some who needed multiple doses of Narcan to be revived.
"That tells us that we have a deadly concoction or cocktail of the drug going around," Blanchard said.
Investigators said the problem is due largely to "hot shots."
"The opioid overdose and death crisis in our city has been at a fast incline due to the 'hot shots' and several other types of opioids being distributed and consumed by several people in our area," the post said. "For those of you that do not know what a “hot shot” is, it is usually a mix of Heroin and another more powerful opioid."
Although heroin is dangerous all on its own, the post said, some of it is mixed with Fentanyl , which is 50 times stronger than Heroin and 100x more potent than Morphine or Carfentanil, which is 10x stronger than Fentanyl and 10,000 times stronger than Morphine.
"That's where the drug like heroin is mixed with a fatal dose of fentanyl or Carfetanyl or some other ingredient that makes it more potent," Blanchard said.
Officials with the department said they have given Narcan about 25 times in just a 13-day period in February.
The APPD said they are available if anyone is in need of help with their addiction.
"We will open that line of communication and try to have a dialogue and provide resources and services," Blanchard said. "It's not about making an arrest. That is not the business we are in here in Aransas Pass."
For more information on substance abuse and how to better treat it, click here.
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